h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

How would you handle the following situtation (hypothetical or not):

The Assumption:
You, as a fairly liberal parent, have raised your child with as few racial prejudices as possible, since you believe that racism is abhorent. However, immediately upon leaving home for school, he or she becomes involved in the White Power movement (joining either a skinhead group, or perhaps listening to "White Pride" records, etc). What do you do?

Aside from cutting him out of my will and changing all the locks? Talk to him I guess. Try not to show overt hostility. There's nothing like a non reaction from a parent to a bit of open rebellion.

I'd remind myself that I am not alone, many others are either exactly where I am now or they've been there and found a solution

Then I'd figure out where to get some advice and support - ideally from someone from my own culture (ethnicity,socio-economic-whatever) - who is trained and/or experienced in such matters

Then I'd get on the phone (or similar) and find them

Then I'd have a and/or a and remind myself that it's not (all) my fault - racism is (generally) white-society's problem, which in turn would remind me of the old addage 'if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem', so I'd probably want another by which time I'd be ready to sleep on it

Ah, but why would you cut them out of your will, sol? and six7s, although I like the idea of reaching out to other parents, is it something you've done (or not done) as a parent, or is it something less sinister, like your child didn't have many friends, and now, because of their ties to this racial sepratist group, they have a whole social circle? Is it, as sol stated, just a matter of "tough love"? Is it simply teen rebellion? When do you know that it's stopped being a phase and started being a serious issue that you have to contend with?

OK. Seriously, no I probably wouldn't cut him out of my will. I probably would worry that it is all my fault, depending on other circimstances. I'm not sure I wouldn't worry that him only being able to find freinds in that social circle wasn't my fault too, and I'm not sure it is less sinister, unless you can actually get him to find a new social circle. I agree that this might be the reason rather than a passionate connversion to the cause. Move away and take him with you? Shove him into a deprogramming clinic? Forcibly make him take up a new hobby? Not an option if he's moved away from home I guess.

If I managed to maintain a fairly positive mental attitude though, what I'd probably do most is make it clear that I disapproved, and be willing, even keen, to talk it over (and over and over) without it turning into a shouting match. I'd hope, in short that it was a phase, and that he'd come to his senses soon. Is there anything else you can do? Wouldn't it be the same if they'd joined a sect or converted to any religion you disapproved of, or if you were racist yourself, your child decided not to be?

Then, to be honest I would simply make it clear that if he expects me to respect his views, he has to respect mine, and therefore certain attitudes, expressions of feeling or comments are not welcome in my house. I'm not sure what I'd do if he did things in the name of his beliefs rather than just held them Well, I'd like to think I'd take strong measures, but...

But really, I suppose that's more or less what I do with students who are of course other people's kids. Not being a mother it's easier to sound logical when in reality I doubt I'd be that clear headed. The contacting other parents things sounds like a good idea to me too.

I'd let my son's Hispanic mother smack some sense into him. Then maybe I'd reinforce the lesson with ridicule, by calling him Paco or something.

When you say that he went to school, do you mean college?

I wouldn't get to wrapped around the axle about it. Kids do a lot of foolish things and experiment with a lot of ideas as they grow up. If this continues for more than a couple months, then I'd start worrying more.

"or perhaps listening to "White Pride" records, etc"

what are white pride records?

White Lion made an album in the 80's called "Pride." But I don't remember it being racist. Maybe there were some metaphors in "Wait" that I just didn't understand.

Well, I'm assuming that by school you mean college.

I would make it clear that I disagreed with him or her and might consider not paying for them to continue going to college, al though I'm not sure. I don't see that there's that much else that I could reasonably do--do I have the right to interfere with an adult's opinion because I find it repulsive. I'd try to persuade them they were wrong, but cooersion would be unreasonable in this situation.

ok

Apparition, there's a record company called Resistance Records (or at least there used to be, back in the early 90s), and they consider themselves the "sound of Whiteness." The only band I can think of that was on the label was one called Rammstein (pronouced with a thick german accent).

I don't know for sure, but if you did a google search on it, I'm pretty sure they have a website.

The only reason I know all of this is that Matt Hale, the founder of a group called Church of the Creator, a white supremacist group, has close ties to my hometown, and there was a fairly extensive media blitz a few years ago when he tried to take the Montana bar exam (to be a lawyer) and they rejected him based on failure to meet the ethical code required.

Ethical code for lawyers?

Yes, I know.

But it has something to do with willingness and or ability to represent everyone equally (if they have enough $$$, of course), and Hale admitted that if he had a non-white defendant, he wouldn't undertake hi sor her case as vigorously as a white defendant's case.

Rammstein: From their website http://www.rammsteinsite.com/faq_band.html
___________
Are Rammstein nazis?

No. "It has been so silly," Flake explained. "That was just a photo of us - not some political statement! The German media sometimes gets carried away with such things. There was even one critic who said that the way Till rolls his 'r's' when he sings is supposed to mimic the way that Hitler used to speak! How silly can they get. We've never written a political song in our life, and we probably never will. It's just reverse discrimination because we are German. Kraftwerk had the same thing happen to them twenty years ago. If we were Spanish or Dutch, there would be no problem."

From the Hit Parader article called Teutonic Values, stating that Rammstein were racist because of their German Herzeleid cover - showing the “master race.”
_______________



however I believe there are many other bands out there that do make such records but you are unlikely to have heard of any of them unless you are into “White Power politics”. If you wish to know more see http://www.adl.org/learn/Ext_US/music_country.asp

Can I just add that I am not into "White Power politics" and I am in fact quite proud of the fact that in I live in a multiracial & multicultural city, it makes life much more intresting

Well alrighty then, Happy Dude.

A friend of mine was asking me this very question the other day. I don't know what I would do. If my child was doing it for social reasons, I would probably pick up and move across the country. However, I would also be torn between locking her out and trying to lock her up! I honestly don't have any answers.

did ya check the link? some intresting article on that site

There are a few people who've been through the white power thing, realised why it was wrong, and become ardent anti-racists. See if you can find one and get them to talk to the teenager in question. That's the best I can think of.

Personally, I'd sit them down and have a talk about it. I'd try to find the route of their hostility to ethnic minorities and attempt to show them alternative viewpoints.

I definately woulnd not try to change their mind however, because this would probably just make them more stubborn and determined.

The important thing, I feel, about tackling racism is getting the people to think.

I think rasicm is about laziness; people too lazy to form their own opinions, so they start repeating other people's.